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Nick and I sit next to each other when Amanda rises.
"Excuse us for a moment. We need to go to the ladies' room," she says, taking Alisha with her. As they move, I notice how Brian ogles the brunette while she strides away. There’s definitely something going on between these two.
"Sorry, guys, I had a business call." I lift my head at Cole's voice as he stops next to Brian, who gives him a friendly slap on the shoulder.
"Oh, my friend. You're in time to meet Nick's woman. She's a beauty."
"Oh, I know that already. I've had the privilege of meeting her at Nick's place," Cole says with a genuine smile.
"Hey, Emma, no eggs with you?" he asks with a playful grin. I laugh and hold up my hands.
"I'm egg-free."
Nick laughs, and Cole takes a seat next to him. When he sees Bella, he holds out his hand to her.
"Oh, hello, I'm Cole."
"I'm Bella," she offers with a sweet smile.
We make small talk. I obviously don’t know these men yet, but I can see why they are Nick’s friends. They’re fun and laid-back, it’s easy to be around them.
A few minutes later,Amanda joins us again. When Cole spots her, he smiles. "Hey Amanda, you're looking good, as always. Isn't she, Brian?" Cole asks, pouring himself a glass of water while the blonde mutters something ambiguous.
"Where is Alisha?" I ask her.
"Oh, hold your horses, you impatient woman. I'm coming," she shouts through the room. The sound of running heels announces her arrival. God, how does she run in those killer heels?
Alisha's head pops up behind Bella. "So, Nick, where’s that other hot friend of yours?” she says while sending Amanda a teasing smile.
“Right here," Nick says, pointing to Cole.
Alisha's eyes land on Cole, and in an instant, her whole body freezes. I glance over at Cole, and he is the same. Frozen on the spot, staring back at her. The smile that was on his lips a minute ago has evaporated. Instead, there's a slight frown on his forehead.
"Oh boy," Nick whispers as he sees the expression on both their faces.
Brian, who also notices his friend's brows knit together, speaks up, "You know this beauty, Cole?"
Gritting his teeth while holding Alisha's gaze as she comes out of her trance-like state, he asks, "This is your friend?"
"Do you know him, Alisha?" Bella asks while observing the two.
"This"—Alisha says while pointing to Cole with her manicured finger—"is the guy that ruined my fun when I came here a few months ago."
Cole gets up and, without breaking eye contact with her, makes his way from the table to where she is. Stopping when he's so close to her that their bodies almost touch, he lowers his head. Alisha's head hardly reaches his shoulders, but to my surprise, she doesn't flinch as she stands with hands on her hips. Everyone is waiting for who will make the next move.
"I ruined your night?" Cole says in a deep voice full of mockery. "Let's not turn the tables, Princess. You ruined my perfectly relaxed evening with your damsel in distress act."
Her nose flares as she straightens her back and lifts her chin higher. "Don't call me princess, Grumpy!"
Nick and Brian can't help but let out a chuckle as they hear Alisha call him grumpy. Cole squints his eyes even more.
"And for your information, yes, you ruined my night when you interfered with the conversation I was having," she scoffs.
A muscle in Cole's jaw twitches, showing he's becoming tenser by the second. "You call having a guy trying to touch you inappropriately a conversation?" Alisha glances sideways for a second before returning to glare at Cole, who lowers his head an inch closer to hers. "You were sitting next to me at the bar when I heard you say no to that guy multiple times, and when he didn't listen, I did what needed to be done."
"You interfered with the conversation I had that night."
A muscle in Cole's jaw twitches, showing he's becoming tenser by the second. "You call having a guy trying to touch you inappropriately a conversation?"
